


Saudade - A Cedric Diggory fic

by Lustblxkes



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst with a Happy Ending, Book 4: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Cedric Diggory Lives, Character Development, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Fred Weasley Lives, Friends to Lovers, Gay Draco Malfoy, George Weasley is a Good Friend, Good Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter - Freeform, Hufflepuff, Hufflepuff & Slytherin Inter-House Friendships, Multi, POV Cedric Diggory, Protective George Weasley, Smutty, Top Cedric Diggory
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-19 13:09:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29999829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lustblxkes/pseuds/Lustblxkes
Summary: Cedric Diggory x OC- Goblet of Fire -"I was made for loving you. Even though we may be hopeless hearts just passing through. Every bone screaming, I don't know what we should do. All I know, darling, I was made for loving you" - Tori Kelly.-WARNING: This story will contain smut later on, explicit language and mentions of depression and harm--All characters belong to J.K Rowling except Rylee Martin and her family.-The plot of this story will revolve around the general plot of the Harry Potter movies with the exception of a few parts. This story will also revolve around the relationship of Cedric Diggory and Rylee Martin.
Relationships: Angelina Johnson/Fred Weasley, Cedric Diggory/Original Female Character(s), Cedric Diggory/Reader, Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, George Weasley/Original Female Character(s), Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley
Kudos: 4





	1. The boy next door.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Thank you so much for choosing to read this story. This version will have a major different path than the version I have on wattpad. Song I recommend while reading this chapter : Somebody that I used to know by Goyte.

Laughs echoed throughout the courtyard as I cracked a joke about how much I hated Cedric Diggory. We all sat in a circle with a brown basket between us all filled with candies and chocolates that we all enjoyed. Counter clockwise, hermione sat beside me. Besides her sat Ron. Besides Ron sat Harry, and in between Harry and I sat the one friend I would give the world for and had to force him into this friendship with Gryffindors, Draco Malfoy.

Draco and I didn't get along during our first year, but when second year came around we had become extremely close. Draco was the only Slytherin, besides Blaise, that I could ever tolerate. He tended to have a soft spot for me and I loved him very much for it.

I had forced him to become friends with Harry, Hermione, Ron and I because I refused to be put in the position where I had to choose between them.

Across from our little circle was the hufflepuff quidditch team getting ready for practice.

"Aren't you supposed to be over there?" asked Ron, popping a green grape into the air and catching it with his mouth. He looked straight forward at the team before meeting my eyes.

I nodded. Followed by a shrug. "They could play without me for today" I smiled back, reaching over for the grapes in Ron's hands and throwing one into Hermione's mouth. We all laughed for hours as we remembered the first time we all met.

"You were a dick, Malfoy!" Harry laughed hysterically as he lay himself on the ground, staring at the blue sky above us.

"No I wasn't!" Draco replied, more anger rather than jokes in his tone.

"Yes you were! Your celebrity crush had rejected your friendship!" I teased, leaning on Draco's shoulder and laughing. My eyes landed on Hermione's hand.

Her pinky was stretched out, slightly caressing Ron's hand.

I chose to ignore it and let them have their moment. We had been waiting for them to get together for a long time.

"He wasn't my celebrity crush" Draco snapped, glaring down at me and digging his elbow into my ribs.

"Then who could have told Dobby all about Harry?" Hermione laughed.

We all fell to the ground, all but Draco, he didn't like when people teased him about his minor crush on Harry. As my friends laughed and laughed, I stared at the sky, then over at Cedric. His eyes met with mine and for a second there, I felt myself get lost. My friends and surroundings began to fade away. Their voices were nonexistent.

It was just Cedric and I in the world.

I felt myself getting lost in a deep thought as my eyes followed him around while he walked and flew around the field.

The date was January 9th of 1991. It was finally my birthday and I had just gotten my Hogwarts acceptance letter. A letter that I had been waiting for half my life, ever since the boy next door had mentioned it.

"I truly hope you get sorted into hufflepuff".

"How so?" I asked without taking my eyes off the wand that I had just gotten from Ollivanders shop. It was a hazel wood wand with a dragon heartstring core, according to the old man, it was about 12 1/2 inches long and it was a hard flexibility. My heart was filled with joy, knowing I would soon enter my dream school, Hogwarts.

"Because we would spend more time together, Ry!" he laughed at how oblivious I was, bumping into my shoulder with both of his hands in his pockets as he walked closely beside me.

My cheeks felt warm like all the blood had suddenly rushed to my face. I cleared my throat and smiled at the ground, "Ah, yes".

We walked for what seemed like hours, talking, buying my supplies, stopping every now and then for a cold butterbeer, and bumping into some of Cedric's friends.

Cedric Diggory was a fourteen year old boy who I had developed a huge crush on since I was 6. We had been the bestest of friends for as long as I could remember, considering I had lived next door since before I was born. My parents, who happened to be muggles, and Amos were extremely close to the point where I'd spent every holiday with them.

"I think we should start heading down to the station" he suggested, holding his hand out to help me with my new screech owl and half of my books. I smiled and nodded, walking closely with him down to the station where soon, I'd make all the friends I could have ever needed.

As we approached the station he turned around to face me, giving me a soft smile before opening his mouth to speak, "Hey, If you don't mind, i'm going to sit with a few of my friends. Take this as an opportunity to make new friends. I'll see you back in Hogwarts" and with that, he was off. He turned his back to me and began to approach a large group of people.

Half slytherins and half hufflepuffs like him.

For some reason, this hurt me like hell. It felt like a goodbye. Although, I'd see him again in a few hours, no?

I cleared my throat and began to carry my stuff into the train.

Soon enough, I had found myself sitting beside a small boy with orange hair, a young girl with long, brown, curly hair and a young boy with circled glasses and raven hair.

We had all gotten along right off the bat. We had been joking and laughing the entire train ride. I had completely forgotten about Cedric and how he had definitely ditched me for his older friends. Maybe he was afraid to be seen with a first year.

"What house do you think you'll get sorted into?" spoke the boy with orange hair, who's name I still didn't know. He was quite adorable and extremely funny.

"Ravenclaw, maybe" replied Hermione as she stared at the roof of the train then back down to a book on her lap, "You?" she asked as she gaped at Ron, awaiting for his answer.

"Uh.." he said nervously at how close Hermione's face was. "Gryffindor" he finally replied proudly.

"Doubtful. Maybe Hufflepuff".

"No! I don't want him" I joked, earning myself a chuckle from the rest of the group. I was glad I had met Hermione, Harry, and Ron. They seemed like really fun people who could take jokes. Now this.. this was my kind of crowd.

"What about you, Harry? I think you'll get into Gryffindor. Cedric has told me all about you".

Harry smiled and nodded, "Gryffindor.. or so I hope".

We found ourselves in hours worth of chatter before arriving at Hogwarts. 

Hogwarts. That was the dream.

I looked around immediately once we had arrived. The school was massive. It had paintings which would move and talk to us like it was a normal thing to be an enchanted painting. It had friendly ghosts, well majority were friendly... she really didn't like Peeves.

As she walked up a long flight of stairs, an old, but sophisticated, lady was waiting for them all at the very top of the stairs. Her arms were crossed and she looked at us all with a warm and welcoming smile, but her eyes said otherwise. Her stare was cold, almost as if she were glaring at us all.

"Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry" she began, extending her left arm and pointing behind her where two large golden doors stood, "Before you join your other classmates in the dining hall, you must be sorted into your houses" she continued, her tone was flat, like she didn't want us here, but what did I care. If being treated like a pest by some old hag meant I got to spend time with Cedric, i'd let her do it.

"The houses you are sorted in will be like your family".

I felt two hands grab onto each one of mine. On one side was Harry, giving me a soft smile. I could tell he was nervous. The entire train ride he had talked about how badly he wanted to be sorted into gryffindor. His hands were sweaty against mine. Gross.

On my other side was Hermione, she had a huge smile on her face which made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. Everything about Hermione was so welcoming. She was the type of friend I wanted to keep for a lifetime.

And so I did.

I grabbed their hands tightly and poked my head out further, turning to face the person who was holding Hermione's hand. "Good luck" I mouthed to Ron with a soft smile before looking back up at the woman in front of us, who did not seem pleased with our side discussion.

"There are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff" she paused, her eyes roaming through out the large group of first years. Finally, her eyes landed on a young boy. Pale, very pale.. Merlin's beard, this boy needed sunlight. He had blue eyes with specks of gray in them and platinum blonde hair which was slicked back.

He'd be cuter if his hair didn't have pounds of gel in it, I thought to myself.

"Slytherin" she said flatly before turning around in the most dramatic way one could exit a room. She opened the doors behind her slightly and went inside, signaling us to stay and wait for her on the other side.

I turned to Harry, silently squealing. My joy being cut off as the 10-pounds-of-gel haired boy approached us.

"So it's true" he began, looking Harry up and down with a slight smirk before continuing, "Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts".

I didn't quite understand why everyone made a huge deal out of him. Earlier, on the train, all Harry had to do was introduce himself and Ron and Hermione were losing it. Cedric had told me multiple stories. Voldemort, Harry, Harry's parents, everything I ought to know before coming to Hogwarts, but even then, I didn't understand the excitement over an ordinary boy.

"This is Crabbe" he tilted his head to a short, chubby, and stubby boy with a buzzcut besides him, "and Goyle" he smiled, pointing at the tall, bulky boy on his other side. They stood behind this scrawny little boy like they were his security guards. What a coward, I thought to myself.

"And I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy".

A small mocking chuckle escaped Ron's lips gaining a cold and harsh stare from this greasy haired boy.

"Think my name's funny, do you?" he snapped, "There's no need to ask for yours. Red hair and a hand-me-down robe? You must be a Weasley" he spat, emphasis on Ron's last name.

Cedric had also told me about the Weasley's. He had told me they were a poor, pure-blood, family, but they were rich in love and purity. He was best friends with Ron's brothers, Fred and George Weasley. One thing he forgot to mention was.. how horrible Draco Malfoy would be.

"Watch your mouth, twat" I spat out of instinct. I gulped hard as the boys stare slowly went from Ron's challenging face to my terrified expression.

A half smirk, almost unnoticeable, really, spread across his stupid face.

"You're too pretty to defend a Weasley. Hopefully you get sorted into Slytherin. I like you very much" he joked before turning back to Harry.

He extended his hand for Harry to shake, "You don't want to go around making friends with the wrong sort" he glared over at Ron then back at Harry with a welcoming smile.

"I think I can find the wrong sort on my own, thanks" Harry replied flatly, slapping Draco hand out of the way as the old lady walked back in.

"Tut. Tut. Tut. I leave for 5 minutes and you lot already find something to cause chaos over. Follow me"

She opened the doors and revealed a large dining room. There were floating candles and long, golden tables which belonged to the different houses. At the very end of the room was a long silver table where, what she assumed were, teachers sat together. As they walked past the tables her eyes spotted Cedric.

He sat with the rest of the hufflepuffs. He was laughing hysterically before his eyes landed on me. I waved discreetly, in case I was correct on being his biggest embarrassment. His smile slowly died down. He cleared his throat nervously and looked back at his group of friends, entering himself in their conversation and laughing again.

He had ignored me.

I felt my heart break as much as a kid's heart could at the thought that my best friend had ignored me all because of our year difference.

I straightened out my posture, looked forward, and walked with my chin held up high. I wasn't going to let him know that he had hurt me.

The sorting had begun.

"Hermione Granger..... Gryffindor!"

"Padma Patil... Gryffindor!"

"Ron Weasley. Another Weasley, huh? I know just what to do with you. Gryffindor!"

"Penny Haywood.. Hufflepuff!"

"Draco Malfoy. SLYTHERIN!"

Soon enough, the majority of my friends had been sorted. The large group of kids that had been surrounding the hat earlier was becoming smaller and smaller by the minute. I'd look back every now and then and catch Cedric looking at me, making my little heart race.

Finally, "Rylee Martin" it was my time.

I sat on the stool, staring nervously at Ron, Hermione, and Harry while they sat at the gryffindor table. Draco was also staring into my soul, he was so creepy.

Hermione and the others had promised me that no matter what house I was sorted into, they'd still be my friends. Thankfully, they had kept their promise. I don't know what I would do without them in my life. My heart raced as the hat began to spew words like "Curious" and "Difficult" out of it's small fabric mouth.

"You have a lot of Slytherin qualities" it whispered low enough for just myself to hear. My heart dropped. "No, no. Not Slytherin please.. I don't want Draco and I definitely don't want Cedric to hate me" I begged the old raggedy hat.

"Diggory?"

I nodded.

"Have you not heard of Slytherpuffs? I'd be doing you a favor, but fine. If you are so sure.. then it must be," a long pause.

My hands began to sweat at the possibility that this stupid old hat would put me in Slytherin.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" it shouted.

I sighed in relief, loud cheers and claps from Hermione, Ron, and Harry. A loud groan from Draco as I walked by. From the corner of my eye I had seen his frown turn into a small smile as I sat at the table across from him.

Four seats away from me sat Cedric.

He cleared his throat and gave me a cautious nod, almost as if he were looking around to make sure that none of his friends had seen him congratulate a first year.

The thing about Cedric was.. he was a kind, caring, and gentle soul, but he cared way too much about his reputation. Most hufflepuffs were stereotyped to be kind, sweet, and innocent people, but that was false.

They had claws. Those badgers had sharp claws that not many saw.

A loud voice rang in my ear, bringing me back to reality.

"What's wrong, Rylee?" They all asked simultaneously as they hovered over me. I quickly turned my head and looked up at the sky before propping myself up on my elbows.

"Got lost in your own thoughts again?" asked Draco, placing a hand on my thigh in an attempt to comfort me. Wow, he sucked at doing so.

"It's been four years, Rylee. He's a 6th year now, you're his last thought." Ron groaned in annoyment.

"Shut up, Ron" Harry snapped back. Slamming hi shand into Ron's chest.

"What were you thinking of?" Hermione asked, sitting back in her original spot.

I looked over at Cedric again, then back at my friends.

"The boy next door".


	2. The quidditch game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Feelings being explored because quidditch games happen to be their thing.

"I think it's time you let go of it" Hermione sighed, staring at the ring on my finger.

"I agree with 'Mione" Ron replied, looking over at Harry who was glaring at me in frustration.

We had been practicing quidditch for hours now because I refused to practice with Cedric and my own team. There was a quidditch game tonight, Slytherin vs Hufflepuff, so Harry was helping me practice. Though, I was doing more thinking rather than playing which really ticked him off.

"I'm sorry" I repeated for the millionth time today.

I stood up, grabbing my broom tightly with my right hand and began walking towards Harry, "I'll listen now" I smiled.

We began to fly laps around the field, but flying always brought me an adrenaline that reminded me of the times I'd go "ding dong ditching" with Cedric on halloween nights.

And so the memories of us began.

"Cedric! I made the quidditch team!" I laughed, running towards him and wrapping my arms around him, his hands around my waist hugging me back tightly.

"Neat!"

It was now winter break and my third year in Hogwarts. I had picked up that Cedric only ever talked to me back at home.

Nonetheless, I still enjoyed his company and talking to him every time I'd get.. well.. every time he'd give me the chance. He now had longer poofy hair, a little lower than his ear, oh my was he beautiful.

He placed me down and rubbed the palm of his hand on the top of my head, messing up my hair whilst I looked up at him. I smiled eagerly then pat down my hair.

"I'm proud of you" he smiled at me.

Although he would treat me like I wasn't important in school, I'd always have a special sort of love for Cedric. He was my best friend no matter what. He could hurt me as much as he'd like and I would still find my way back to him.

He wrapped his arm around me and began to guide us into his house where my parents were already sitting down at the couch, laughing and making conversation with Cedric's father.

Seeing how happy they all were reminded me of how happy I was around MY friends. I began to miss Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Draco. I wish we could have all reunited for christmas and spent it together. But along with the happy thoughts came the angry feeling of being ignored by Cedric in school.

I turned to him, his smile fading away as our eyes met.

Call me crazy, if you will, but i've always believed that our feelings for each other were mutual. The way his eyes softened every time he'd look at me and how the golden specks in his eyes became more prominent every time I'd crack a joke. There was no friendly explanation for the way he would hug me and look at me. There was always tension between the looks we would exchange. This made my heart skip every time we would make eye contact.

"Can we talk" I cleared my throat, tilting my head towards the door at the end of the hallway, "Privately".

He nodded and held my hand, sending chills down my spine and making my young heart race as he guided me into his room.

It smelled like home. Warm. It smelled like a nice fire after a long day of swimming down at the beach. HE smelled like home.

I sat on the edge of his bed as he closed the door behind us, standing in front of me with both his hands at his front. He looked down at me before crouching down to the ground, looking back up at me.

I cleared my throat and began to fidget with my fingers, "Why do you ignore me" I finally spat out without looking back up at him.

He placed his hands on my knees to balance himself. I can feel his eyes burning into my skin after I had asked him the question that could determine our friendship.

I heard him clear his throat, he was startled and obviously didn't know how to respond to me.

"I'm sorry" he whispered.

Sorry? He was sorry? That's all he had to say?

"Sorry?" I spat.

"Rylee. I'm in my (I genuinely don't know if he'd be in 5th now but) year now. I don't have time to talk to you and hang out with you like your new friends do" he got up, pacing to the other side of the room with his arms crossed, waiting for me to respond.

"No, Cedric. It's not just now. You ignore me in school ever since I got to Hogwarts. Why".

He stayed quiet. Instead, he walked towards his door, opened it wide and signaled for me to get out. I scoffed and got up, glaring at him and I walked past him, "You've changed".

I slammed his hand away from the door, grabbed it, and slammed it myself. That'll show him.

Dinner was quiet, very awkward to say the least. We exchanged glances every now and then which made my heart race, but that was about it.

It was finally time to open our presents. First up was Mr. Diggory. My father had bought him a nice silver watch with dark brown bands. Amos smiled at hugged my dad. Then went my mother, Amos had knitted her a long purple cardigan sweater which my mother put on and wore gladly throughout the rest of the gifts.

Next up was me. There was a small yellow box with the words "For my favorite Hufflepuff" written in bold letters on the top of it. I looked over at Cedric feeling guilty that I could ever think he was a shitty person. I kneeled in front of the tree and reached for the yellow box. Inside the box was a silk-to-the-touch black box. Almost like the ones people use when proposing. I opened it up, smiling at the gift inside.

It was a black ring. It was a little thick. The inside of it was a bright yellow, meaning the ring itself were in the colors of my Hogwarts house. at the top of the ring, on it's black side, the words "Together." were embedded in it in a goldish color. On the inside of it, opposite to the word I had just read, it said "C.D & R.M". My heart swelled in joy.

I placed the ring on my index finger then proceeded to run full speed towards Cedric, causing us both to fall onto the nearest couch. "I LOVE IT" I squealed, placing kisses on the very top of his head. My parents laughed.

They had always thought Cedric was a nice young man. They had always wanted us to get together at some point, but seeing how things truly were at Hogwarts, it was doubtful that my parents would get their dream couple.

Days went on, and although his gift was sweet, it didn't forgive the fact he had been ignoring me for 3 school years now. It didn't allow me to forgive and forget that in Hogwarts, I was no longer his best friend, his Ry, but instead I was a complete stranger to him. Someone he talked to when I'd mess up during Quidditch practice.

Unfortunately, it was time to go back home. I was dreading going back to Hogwarts. Not because I didn't want to see my friends, but because this christmas was everything I had ever wanted with Cedric and I was not ready to going back to being a stranger to him. He never explained why he would do it, but I had a hunch it was because I was embarrassing.

"RONALD! HERMIONE! HARRY! DRACOO!"

I ran towards my friends, tackling them onto the ground. All of us a laughing mess.

Maybe this is why Cedric chose to ignore me..

I shook the thought out of my head and grinned at my friends, showing off the ring I had gotten for christmas.

"Look".

"Cedric?" Draco laughed. His cheeks and nose were pink from the cold. He looked adorable.

I nodded excitedly.

"Were you even paying attention to what you were doing?" Harry's voice snapped me back to my sad reality. I nodded to get him off my ass.

As soon as Harry and the others were out of earshot I turned to Draco, "No, I wasn't" I groaned.

Draco laughed harder than he should have then turned to me, "We are so kicking your asses today" he smiled before walking off and leaving alone in the middle of the field.

Two warm hands covered my eyes from behind me causing me to jump, "shit!" I blurted out.

"Language, Ms. Martin" a familiar voice chuckled before revealing himself.

Cedric Diggory.

My heart fluttered at the sight of him. Adrenaline ran through my veins as the possibility of someone walking by and seeing us together ran through my mind. His brown eyes looking directly into mine. The golden specks becoming prominent by the minute as we stared at each other in awe.

I cleared my throat. He may have me wrapped around his finger, but I rather die than let him know that.

"Oh" I said flatly with a hint of disappointment in my tone. "What could you possibly want" I groaned, crossing my arms in front of my chest whilst rolling my eyes at him.

He placed his index finger on top of my crossed arms and softly pushed them away, "You've been hanging out with Slytherins too much recently" he joked.

"Why didn't you practice with us?" he smiled innocently.

There was no way that this man could be this oblivious to our situation. Impossible.

"Aren't I just a stranger to you?" I scoffed.

I hadn't talked to Cedric since the christmas of 3rd year. It was awkward between us and I had turned into a stranger to him.

"Ry, I already told you it's not like that" his eyes diverting from mine towards the ring he had given me, a small smile spreading across his face as if hope had just re-entered his life.

I quickly slid my hand into my pocket, clearing my throat causing his eyes to look back up at mine.

"Cedric.. just stop. You think I haven't noticed your sad attempts at talking to me? You made it clear that this friendship ended faster than it began. Did it hurt my young heart? Yes. I couldn't care less anymore. I have other things to worry about rather than a stupid boy I spent my childhood obsessing over who only ever saw me as his little sister. Now, please get out of my way".

So he did. He moved aside, clearing a path for me straight towards the hufflepuff common room. I stared at the ground as I walked past him, tears threatening to form in my eyes. The reality of that friendship being over hurting like a sharp knife.

A hand grabbed onto my forearm, pulling me back into him. This time, his facial expressions shifted. He was now glaring down at me. I had never seen such an intense stare from him, it sent chills down my spine.

"I said it's not like that" he spat. His eyes were dark and his voice was deeper than usual. It made my heart skip a beat at the sight of such a dominant voice coming from the young sweet boy I once knew.

I yanked my arm back to my side, matching his energy by glaring back at him. Our faces inches away from each other. His eyes tracing my bottom lip then back up to my brown eyes. I could feel his breathing against my face as a large tension bubble formed around us.

I hated him. Oh how I hated him. I hated him for ignoring me like nothing. I hate him because I cared for him. I hated him because I loved him so much.

"Don't touch me, Diggory" I snapped, stomping away towards the Hufflepuff common room where I would spend the next few hours replaying that moment over and over in my head, regretting not smashing my lips into his, until the game would begin.

_______________________________  
*I recommend to listen to Atlantis by SeaFret while reading from here to the end*

"Okay, team" began Cedric, looking around at the people circling around him, making sure there wasn't a nasty slytherin sneaking into our circle to get information on our play tonight, "If we win against Slytherin, we go again Gryffindor and the cup is ours. Don't fail us today" he looked over at his co-captain Zacharias Smith.

We all nodded in unison and began to get in formation. I was besides Cedric at the front. I couldn't help but stare at him as his fixed his gloves and ran his hand through his neatly combed hair. He looked beautiful under the moonlight.

I looked away before he could ever catch me looking.

"Good luck" he said dryly.

I nodded again, this time in the most awkward way a human can possibly be.

And so we flew out and got in our positions, each of us across from the person we had to play against on the Slytherin team. Who did I have to catch the snitch before? Draco malfoy. Lovely.

Although Draco and I were best friends and would never *purposely* hurt one another, Draco was extremely competitive and quidditch wasn't something he took lightly. He dreamed of becoming a famous quidditch player once he finally graduates from Hogwarts.

An evil smirk spread across his face as Madam Hooch spoke out, "I want a fair game, slytherins" and blew her whistle.

He sped past me almost knocking me off my broom. The wind made my high ponytail swing over to my right side. I sighed and turned my broom around, chasing after Draco as fast as I could.

The game was now in full force. Quidditch players from the opposing team kept swerving in front of me, trying to make me lose Draco.

But I could spot his platinum blond hair from miles away. He was now speeding closely behind the golden snitch, turning his head back to look at me with a cheeky grin.

I scoffed, running my tongue inside my cheek before aggressively bumping into Adrian Pucey to move him out of my way.

The wind was sweeping my hair behind me as I sped closer and closer to Draco. As she sped past a goal post, Cedric caught her eye, quickly distracting her from the fact Draco was about to catch the snitch. It all was happening so fast, but it felt so slow motion. His sweaty face, his chest heaving up and down, his honey like eyes darting back and forth between me speeding by and Draco across the field.

"The snitch!" he yelled at me, clearly not wanting to have a moment with me. He seemed to be so done and over my bullshit with him.

I shook my head and sped up again, reaching my hand out as soon as I was right besides Draco. I turned my head towards him, giving him a grin, "Better luck next time" I chuckled.

He let out a mocking laugh, bumping into me, making me lose control of my broom for a split second. I shook my head, coming to a screeching halt causing Cedric to glare at me.

I began to swoop down towards the ground at an incredible speed then making a sharp 90 and rocketing upwards towards Draco.

The crowd roared at what I had just done. It was a quite difficult and dangerous move to make I could have crashed into the ground or even fallen off my broom on my way up, but I had done it.

Just in time to cut Draco off.

"RYLEE! RYLEE! RYLEE! RYLEE!" I heard the crowd cheer and I placed both my hands together on the edge of my broom and tried to balance my feet on it. I had decided to copy the move Harry had done during his first quidditch game, except I intended to successfully do it.

I stood on my broom, passing goal posts and many of my teammates, I stretched out my hand towards the golden ball with its fluttering little silver wings, sensing Draco trying to speed faster to me.

It was all happening so fast.

I felt the tip of my fingers graze against the ball. So close, just a little closer-

I was now falling down from my broom, everything was going by in slow motion. I was soon going to hit the ground and fall unconscious.

Before I knew it, someone had caught me just inches below the ground. A set of familiar arms had caught me. Who ever had caught me was breathing heavily against my face, they were sweaty. "I got you, Ry" the familiar voice spoke out. It was tender, it was sweet, it was the most pleasing sound she could ever hear. It was Cedric.

A loud whistle blew, calling off the game. Hufflepuff had won!

I felt my eyes get heavy. The adrenaline of catching the ball and falling to a near death was all too much for me to handle. Soon, my vision went black and all I could hear were professors and my friends surrounding me with worrisome voices.

_________________________________________________________

My heart was bound to jump out of my chest at any given moment as I raced closely behind Professor Dumbledore towards the hospital wing. "Is she going to be okay" I asked for the millionth time in the span of 5 minutes. I had started to grow a hatred for Rylee, or so I tried to convince myself.

But seeing the girl that I've cared about my entire life fall off her broom stick when she is feets away from the ground sparks something inside one, no? It did for me.

Seeing Rylee fall was something I never wanted to see ever again. I couldn't. I cared too much about her. I just hoped she wouldn't remember it was I who caught her.

Was it a risky move? Yes. Could Draco have caught her? Yes. But I wanted it to be me.

I ran towards the bed she was in as soon as Dumbledore had opened the doors. Sitting around her were her pesky friends. Merlin's beard did I despise them. My heart had no room for hatred, but it had a nice, decorated room dedicated to Ron, Hermione, and most of all, Draco. Harry was whatever in my opinion.

They all turned their heads in unison to look at me, glaring at me like seagulls.

"How is she doing" I asked nervously, not removing my eyes off of her. Her face was paler than usual, her hair was a wild mess, but I liked it. She looked so beautiful.

"What do you care" Ron spat, earning a chuckle from ferret boy Malfoy.

"Do you forget I saved her?" I scowled. I wasn't going to let myself be scolded by a lot of 4th years. Who did they think they were? They didn't know Rylee the way I knew her. Nobody ever would.

"Guilty conscience, I suppose" Hermione spoke, not with an attitude, no, but with a tone of smart ass in her sentence.

I rolled my eyes at them, stepping closer to Rylee. I felt a smile form on my face as I placed her hair behind her ear.

"Don't touch her, prick" Draco spat, slapping my hand away from Rylee's face.

"You don't get to come in here after ignoring her like she is just a nobody to you for four years and expect us to let you pretend like you're the hero of her story. Get out. We don't want issues with you, Diggory." Draco scowled. His friends joining behind him, all of them glaring at me like I was some sort of villian.

"Look at you. Spewing shit out of your ass. You don't know the real reasoning behind anything" I spat, "Look at that, she still wears the ring I gave her last year. If she truly wanted me gone, she would've taken it off ages ago, no?".

My blood boil as I watched Harry's finger trace Rylee's ring, looking up at me like he wanted to test me.

"We'll do it for her" Draco laughed, placing his hand on Harry's shoulder in an encouraging way.

"Don't. Touch. It" I scowled, stepping away from Rylee's bed and standing at the center of the hospital wing room.

"Get out" Hermione finally stood up from the edge of the bed, standing besides Ron as they all approached me.

"If you cared about her so much, you would have never left her behind".

"I have my reasons" I scoffed.

"Yeah? What are they? That your nice guy act is all fake and that you're actually a complete twat?" Harry spat, stepping closer to me trying to size me up. Draco immediately stood behind Harry, as well as Ron.

I felt my blood rush through my veins, heat being sent up to my white cheeks, my blood boiled. Before I knew it, my fist was slammed into Harry's face.

Blood on my knuckles from his lip.

Draco jumped at me as soon as my fist had made contact with Harry's face.

"DRACO! NO!" I heard a feminine voice scream out, Hermione was trying to pull Draco off me.

I was now on the ground, a extremely warm liquid falling from the side of my face onto my hair as Draco repeatedly punched me.

It took Ron and Harry to get him off.

My chest heaving as I stood up, wiping the blood off my brow with the back of my hand, then glaring at Draco.

"Don't ever come near Rylee again, twat. Unless your black eye feels lonely and wants company".

I scoffed and placed a kiss on Rylee's forehead, "I can save us. Give me a chance, Ry.", before walking back out the doors.

How could I tell Rylee the reality behind why I ignored her for so long If I can't even go near her. I needed a chance to explain to her.

I had to explain my reasoning.

That being that I strayed away from her because I had caught feelings for her. I didn't want her to feel obligated to feel the same way about me. How do I tell her that when I wanted to reach out again, jealousy ran through my veins? Jealousy that she had replaced me with a new group. How could I tell her that I ignored her because I was in love with her and I knew she would never feel the same way.

How do I tell her I was afraid of being rejected and replaced?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well... that was something... Anyway thank you so much for the kind comments you've all decided to leave on my first chapter. It means the absolute world. It makes me really happy when you all comment your live reactions on certain parts and what not.. I really do hope this story doesn't flop. I have so much planned for it.
> 
> Now that both our lovers have come to terms with their feelings, be prepared for all the angst and slowburn that is about to come.


	3. The triwizard tournament

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will Cedric Diggory have the guts to enter himself into the tournament or will he only do it to impress Rylee?

It had been two weeks since I had last seen Rylee at the hospital wing. I hadn't seen her at practice and i hadn't seen her pesky friends either. We had won our game against Gryffindor and all was good to everyone but me. "Good game" my team mate spoke, not that I really cared considering the only thing on my mind was Rylee. All I could think about was her and my regret of not telling her sooner how I felt.

After all, we were just kids.

I felt a hand pat my back and pressure being pressed against the side of my bed, one of my teammates had decided to sit besides me.

"What's wrong, champ? Thanks to that 4th year we made it to finals".

"That 'fourth year' has a name, dickhead" I snapped unintentionally.

I had kept Rylee and our friendship a secret for years, why was I bringing her out to the public like this all of a sudden? Rage, thats why.

"Woah. Who pissed in your cereal" he mocked, slapping his hand into my back before exiting the dormitories.

I sighed and swiftly removed my quidditch jersey, standing up and walking towards the mirror. I stretched my arms, cracked my knuckles, and began to stare at myself for what seemed like hours.

How could I be so stupid to let someone like Rylee Martin go.

Everything I ever did in life was for her.

To make Rylee happy.

Laughter echoed as I dipped her in my arms. Her big brown eyes looking directly into mine as the song slowly faded away. At this moment all I could think about was kissing her.

"You're not good enough for her" a voice spoke in my head. This stupid voice was always there. Everytime I'd get close, it would remind me that I wasn't nor would I ever be good enough for her.

I cleared my throat and let go of her hand, "I thought you said you weren't good at dancing".

Her laugh wasn't the prettiest laugh, but it was unique and funny which brought me to tears of laughter every time. She had one of those laughs. The laughs where you would wheeze and gasp for air even if the joke wasn't remotely funny, but I liked that about Rylee.

I liked how she didn't care if she didn't fit what society called "lady like". She didn't care if she wasn't fit to society's standards. All she cared about was smiling, having fun, and being herself. I loved that about her and I always would.

"I guess i'm a natural".

Her smile though.. her smile could light up an entire room. She hated her smile, she'd always say how bad she wished her lip didn't cover part of her teeth whenever she'd smile. She had always said she had an awkward smile. I thought it was beautiful. Her smile made me feel warm and fuzzy. Her smile meant the world to me.

"Perhaps" I joked, digging my elbow into her side before walking towards the small lavender radio across the room, lowering the volume of the next song that was playing. I felt her eyes follow me around the room, a smile creeping onto my face.

"I'm bored now" she sighed, plopping on the couch and examining her nails. A chuckle escaped my lips, followed by a sigh as I plopped beside her, "You are never satisfied, are you?" I joked.

"I'm a thirteen year old girl who is going through puberty, Ced.. All I want is to have fun" she looked over at me with a challenging look.

"Fine" I groaned.

I stood up from the couch and turned around to face her, stretching out my hand for her to grab. She had grabbed my hand and sparks were sent flying through out my body. I had been in love with Rylee since I was a young boy. No girl could have ever made me feel the way she did.

I led her out to the backyard where a nimbus 2000 was placed up on a wall. She squealed excitedly then looked back up at me, her hand still in mine.

I gulped and let go of her hand.

"If I get in trouble, Ry-"

"You won't" she smiled, rushing over to the broom and mounting it immediately.

I watched her as she zoomed through out my backyard on my broom. Her hair flowing behind her as she sped past me, her loud laughter filling my young heart with joy. "Be careful!" I shouted. Rylee was never a careful person which is why I had always told her not to try out for quidditch, I didn't want her to suffer a terrible injury. I don't know what I'd do.

"Rylee!" I yelled, rushing towards her before she was able to hit the ground. My breathing was heavy as I cradled her in my arms, placing a hair strand behind her ear.

"I may or may not be afraid of heights" she chuckled nervously, burying her face into my chest.

How do you forget to tell me that you're afraid of heights.

"Rylee".

"Yes?" she smiled innocently at me, still in my arms.

"How do you forget to tell me you're afraid of heights? Do you know what could have happened if I wasn't watching you? What if this had happened at school and I wasn't there to catch you and save you from falling? You can't try out for quidditch, I prohibit you from doing so".

"Woah. You never ARE there anyway. Do you forget i'm a stranger in school? You can't ignore me and then expect me to listen to the rules you want to set down. I've always admired you and wanted to follow in your steps and that's what I'll do. I'm trying out for the quidditch team and you nor anyone can stop me from doing so" she scoffed, letting go off my arms and pushing herself away from me. She tied her hair and glared up at me before storming back inside to the house.

She was a feisty little girl.

"You okay there, mate?" a voice from behind me snapped me back to my current reality. A shitty one at that. "Yes" I nodded, walking to a trunk which lay on my bed with all my clothing inside.

"Dumbledore wants us all down at the dining hall. Apparently he is making a huge announcement".

___________________________________________________________________

"GUYS! STOP IT" I shouted as Draco took my arm over his shoulder and Harry took my other while lifting me off the bed.

They had been treating me like a fragile object for the past few weeks, oh how tired I was of it. They hadn't told me anything that had happened, they seemed to be hiding something each time I would ask about Cedric.

How was I feeling? Besides the terrible headache? I was heartbroken. You would think that someone you dearly loved and grew up with, who clearly saw you fall, would be here to comfort you, but of course he never showed up. Catching me when I fell off the boom was all fake for his good boy act, no? I hated Cedric Diggory, I truly did.

"Fine" Draco spat, dropping my arm off his shoulder causing me to lose balance. He chuckled to himself.

"Why do we have to go to the dining hall anyway" I complained, patting down my fly aways and fixing my light blue shirt which Hermione had let me borrow.

"Apparently Dumbledore has an announcement to make" Hermione said sweetly.

She was the most understanding person these past two weeks.

While the boys treated me like I was a brand new fragile toy, Hermione had treated me the same as always. She wouldn't be careful around me, instead she was more careless and reckless as usual. She made me feel normal, unlike the three dimwits who thought breathing near me would be a step closer to my death.

"Ah, right" I nodded.

We began to make our way towards the dining hall. Ron opened the doors and inside was our entire school sitting with their assigned houses. I waved goodbye to my friends as I approached the hufflepuff table.

I rolled my eyes and sighed, sitting besides Cedric.

"Hey, you truly need to stop falling into my arms" he smiled at me, "How are you feeling?" he whispered softly, turning his whole body to face me.

"Not like you care" I scowled, glaring at him then diverting my eyes towards Dumbledore who was now standing at his wooden podium.

"Ry, what are you-"

I glared back at Cedric causing him to shut up. "If you cared you would have checked up on me when I was in the hospital wing. Not now".

He began to speak but I had already tuned him out. I couldn't care less about his excuses. He always made them no matter the situation. I only cared about the words coming out of Dumbledore's mouth.

I looked over at Harry as Dumbledore spoke about a so called Triwizard Tournament and how you had to be 17 or older to put your name in the goblet. I looked over at my table as loud cheers erupted and people began to crowd over Cedric.

Right. He had turned 17 a week ago.

"Are you insane?" I spewed out of instinct. I didn't want Cedric to know that I cared about his well being. Not after he proved not to care about mine, but oh how I loved this boy.

"You care?" he whispered with eager in his tone. There went the gold specks in his eyes as he looked at me with 'hope' written all over his face.

"No" I said flatly, "I just don't want a dead student in Hogwarts. Did you not hear Dumbledore? This is a dangerous competition".

"I think you care about me, Martin" he teased with a slight smirk, "I'll still be putting my name in the goblet".

I crossed my arms and rolled my eyes. I loved him, I did, but there were moments where I truly couldn't stand him.

Dumbledore's speech continued for a while. He explained how schools would come together during this tournament and how the tasks were not to be taken lightly. Finally, his speech had come to an end and all students exited the dining room.

_________________________________________________

"He's putting his name in the goblet?" Draco cackled from above. He was sitting on a tree branch looking down at the rest of us, "He won't last five minutes".

"Three. Take it or leave it" Harry chimed in, earning a laugh from the rest of the group.

We all chatted until the sun went down and then we proceeded to make our way back into the dining hall where there was a large goblet with blue flames coming out of it from the middle of the room. A large white circle surrounding it. I assumed it was Dumbledore's idea to put an age barrier, a smart man he was.

Inside the room was all the students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang Institute that had come for the Triwizard Tournament. All mixed with students from Hogwarts, giggling and cracking jokes about who would and who would not survive the tournament.

Soon enough, laughter echoed throughout the room as the twins came skipping in with two small bottles in each of their hands. Apparently the twins had come up with a way to make themselves older and cross the age barrier to place their names in the goblet of fire, but alas, the attractive ones are never smart.

The twins had grown gray hair and a large gray beard, one could confuse them with old Dumbledore if he was around, and they were now brawling on the ground blaming each other for the fail of the potion.

Victor Krum had gone after, winking at Hermione before walking away. Ron was soon fuming in jealousy.

After Krum, a beautiful.. maybe the most beautiful girl I had ever seen, approached the goblet. She wore a tight sky blue dress which accentuated her curves. She had a nice smile and she seemed delicate. She placed a flower petal with her name in it inside the goblet and then strutted away towards her friends.

Cedric took a big sigh. His eyes on me as he walked towards the goblet. Nobody knew Cedric like I did, nobody knew how to read him like I did. His eyes were screaming for help. He didn't want to enter this tournament, but he was all about looking brave and strong to his friends. His eyes were pleading for me to stop him. For anyone, to stop him from making a stupid decision.

I cleared my throat and looked at the ground. If he didn't care about my well being, why should I care about his?

He dropped the piece of paper into the goblet and shook his head in disappointment before returning with a wide, but obviously forced, smile towards his group of friends who welcomed him with applause and cheers.

Soon enough they all found themselves sitting down, awaiting for Dumbledore to call the names of the Triwizard Champions.

A piece of parchment paper flew out of the Goblet and into Dumbledore's palm. He quickly unfolded it and smiled, "Viktor Krum!" he shouted. His shout being followed by roars from the men of Durmstrang, cheering uncontrollably for Krum.

Next, a sky blue rose petal flew out into the air, slowly swaying back and forth before landing on the fingertips of the old man's hand, "Fleur Delacour!" he shouted again, the girls whistled and clapped, cheering on the lovely girl who was going to represent Beauxbatons in this challenging tournament.

Last was a student from Hogwarts. My heart raced and my palms began to sweat.

"please don't be Cedric.. please don't be" I whispered to myself low enough for just myself to hear.

"Cedric Diggory!" the old hag shouted.

"no.. no, no, no ,no, HA, no" I said a little too loudly. Cedric's friends turned to face me with a weird face then went back to cheering loudly and applauding for Cedric. He got up and joined the two other students behind Dumbledore.

A huge smile on Dumbledore's face as he renamed the three champions.

Silence filled the room as the fire of the Goblet turned red, spewing another paper out of it. Dumbledore rushed towards it, confusion spreading across everyone's face.

According to Dumbledore, there had always been only three champions.

"Harry Potter!" He shouted.

I felt my heart sink. Why would Harry put his name in the Goblet. No, HOW did Harry put his name in the Goblet.

Faces turned red in anger, all heads turned to face Harry. It was no fair that he had found a way when not even Fred and George Weasley could.

Even worse, another paper seemed to be entangled with Harry's.

"Rylee Martin!" Dumbledore shouted angrily. How could two under age students put their names in the Goblet of fire, he thought to himself.

My eyes widened. I froze in my seat while my eyes darted back and forth between a scared Harry and a furious Cedric.

"RYLEE MARTIN AND HARRY POTTER!"Dumbledore shouted again. I wanted to dig a hole and bury myself in it and never show my face again. I hadn't put my name in the stupid Goblet!

I felt my knees buckle as I stood up from my seat, as well as Harry, we began to walk simultaneously towards the rest of the champions and followed Dumbledore into his office with every else.

Cedric grabbed my arm with the same force he had that one time. So much dominance coming from him was scary, but also attractive. I didn't know whether to smash my lips against his like it was our final moments together or if I wanted to glare at him and slap him away.

"What the hell" his voice deeper than usual. his eyes were dark and filled with anger as he stared me down, "I can't endanger myself but you're allowed to put your life on the line? No", he slapped my arm away and approached Dumbledore immediately, "There was a mistake professor. Rylee can't participate in this tournament. I don't allow it" his voice raspy. A vein popping out from the side of his neck from all the anger he was holding.

"The rules are set, Mr. Diggory. She knew what she was getting into when she put her name in the Goblet".

Cedric stomped back over to me, his face inches away from mine. I could feel his breathing against my skin as his eyes dropped to my lips again. A wave of chills going through out my body. Butterflies swarming my stomach as his eyes rapidly switched from my bottom lip to my eyes. He grip on my arm was tight.

"If something happens to you" he began, angrily, still staring at my bottom lip and tracing it with his eyes.

"Nothing is happening to me" I said sharply, yanking my arm away from him, sizing him up.

A small smirk appeared on his face then his eyes diverted to mine. He backed away with his arms crossed and went to stand on the other side of Viktor Krum.

Harry stood beside me. He grabbed my hand tightly. I could tell he was afraid and I could tell he didn't place his name in the goblet. Who the hell would put our names and enter us into such an intense activity?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this is going to get interesting.. anyway, I'm so glad you all like the story so far. I am extremely proud of it and I have great things planned for it.
> 
> Also, is it me or is there A LOT of tension between Cedric and Rylee right now?
> 
> I guess we'll see if that tension bubble bursts anytime soon once they're both put in the tournament and the possibility of either of them dying lingers..
> 
> Until next time!!


	4. Yule Ball dates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the yule ball around the corner, the squad must find their dates.

"You twat!" Ron yelled as he threw himself onto Harry. The sound of flesh hitting flesh repeatedly echoing throughout the hallway. Draco's angering voice echoing as well as he tried to pull Ron off. Hermione squealing at her first ever time watching a fight and Harry spewing words as he tried to defend himself. Rylee stood there, her mouth wide open as she watched the boys brawl over such a silly matter.

"RONALD WEASLEY AND HARRY POTTER!" a loud voice shouted, bringing all attention to the person whom it came from. She was around 5 feet 3 inches tall, she had long, orange, straight hair, this beautiful girl was young, tiny, yet brought so much fear to the two boys on the ground. She was Ginny Weasley.

Both heads turned to glare at her. Ron's fist balled up in the air while his other fist had a tight grip around Harry's collar. He sat on top of Harry.

Harry's messy hair and ragged breathing was attractive. According to Ginny at least.

Harry pushed Ron off himself with all the force he could. Adjusting himself as he stood up, fixing his mess he called hair and tying his tie up again. Draco stood beside him, patting his back and helping him fix his collar.

"You okay there, Potter?" Draco whispered softly as he looked down at Harry. Draco was 5 feet and 11 inches tall, so naturally, he towered over Harry.

Harry nodded, giving Draco a weak smile before clearing his throat and staring blankly at Ginny. "Sorry, Ginny, but your lunatic of a brother thinks I purposely put my name in the Goblet!" he shouted, his arm stretched out towards Ron whose button down shirt was loosened from the top.

"I'M the crazy one here? I'm not the one entering myself in a life threatening tournament!"

"So, you think I put it purposely as well?" Rylee scoffed, crossing her arms and approaching Ron as she looked him up and down with cold eyes. Everything about her posture and the way she had approached him screamed 'say it again, I dare you'. Ron gulped hard, fixing his tie then shaking his head "no.." he said quietly.

"Then obviously he didn't either. You think we chose to put our life on the line? No thank you".

"You can go back to the dining hall, the party is over" Hermione scowled at the crowd of students who had been surrounding them since the fight had broke out.

All the students groaned and began to make their way back to the dining hall. All but two students.

"I'm sorry, mate. I should have known you're not crazy enough to put your name in the Goblet, especially without telling me" Ron apologized, bringing Harry into a tight brotherly hug. Both guys walked side by side to the dining hall, as well as the rest of the friend group.

The dining hall, yes. The room was set up with long tables on either side. On one side sat all the girls and on the other side sat all the boys. In the middle of the room stood Professor McGonagall, lovely lady she was. A huge smile on her face as she walked towards an old timey record player, placing a large disc in it without moving the tone arm just yet. She paced back to the middle of the room and faced the students with a smile from ear to ear.

"You are all wondering why I've gathered you all here," she began to pace back and forth in between the students as she spoke, "As you all know, we have a triwizard tournament coming up" her eyes darted back and forth between Harry and Rylee as they sat fiddling with their fingers as she spoke.

"Well, as tradition is, not only do we have a Triwizard Tournament going on, but it is followed by a dance. A ball where you would all have fun".

"A ball?" Ron leaned over to Neville Longbottom, a young and tall boy whom he was roommates with since his first year.

Neville shrugged, "I think it's quite lovely" his eyes narrowing as he scanned all the girls in the front row across from him. His eyes landing on one girl he had a major crush on for years now.

She had long, platinum blonde hair, it was almost white, and she wore these blue and pink glasses on the top of her head. Her breath hitched as she noticed Longbottom staring directly at her.

A small smile emerging from both faces and blood rushing to their cheeks, making them blush a crimson red at the sight of one another.

Maybe a ball wouldn't be so bad.

_________________________________________________________________

"A ball? That's ridiculous" Ron spat.

After Professor McGonagall had explained this 'ball', the student's had proceeded to head back to their classes. In a long table sat Ron, Hermione, and Harry on one side and Draco and Rylee on the opposing side.

A whistle caught their attention.

It was Fred Weasley.

Beside him sat his other half, George Weasley.

He was calling for Ron. Soon enough a note was flying towards Ron. A small note which read

"You better get to asking before all the good ones are gone"

Ron rolled his eyes, lifting his eyes to glare at his brother, "Go on then -- who are YOU taking" he spat, earning himself a mocking chuckle from his older brother as he called for a beautiful young girl across from him.

Angelina Johnson. The most beautiful quidditch player Fred Weasley had ever seen.

"Angelina" he whispered again until finally he had caught her attention.

"Do you...want... to go... to the.... yule ball.. with.. ME" he mouthed all whilst mimicking actions that represented each word he had said. Angelina nodded excitedly.

One good girl down.

"Hey, Hermione" Ron turned his head to face her, "You're a girl.." he said awkwardly.

The thing about Ronald was that he truly did like Hermione. He had liked her since his second year in Hogwarts, but he was an extremely awkward man when it came to Hermione Granger. Nobody could ever make him as nervous as she did. Generally, he was outgoing, he really was, but lock him in a room with Granger and he would become one of the most shy people you could ever come across.

"Good eye, Weasley" she snapped sarcastically. She liked Ron as well, there was no denying it, but she would rather die than be asked to the yule ball in such a last minute manner.

"It's bad enough for a guy to go alone.. but its just SAD for a girl to go all by herself to the ball in a school filled with desperate men" he whispered.

Hermione gasped. She stomped her way over to Professor Snape and handed him her school work before stomping back over to the table.

"Hermione! Don't listen to him. We could all go as friends!" Rylee pleaded, glaring at Ron as she spoke.

"Screw you, Ronald Bilius Weasley!" she spat before rushing out of the classroom.

Ron sighed, plopping his head down on the table. "Moron" he murmured to himself as Harry rubbed his back in comfort.

"Who are you going to ask?" Draco chimed, his elbow on the table and the palm of his hand holding up his head by his chin as his eyes glittered in hope whilst looking at Harry.

Harry shrugged. He was completely oblivious to the not so discreet flirting which Draco had been doing.

"I've had my eyes on Cho Chang" he said dryly, dragging the tip of his quill along the desk without looking up at either of his friends. Not that that would have been a good idea considering Draco and Rylee were now exchanging disappointing looks.

"Ah, got it" Draco said with a forced smile. He grabbed his work and handed it to Professor Snape before walking back to the table and grabbing Rylee's arm, leaving Harry alone with Ron to finish his work.

"He's unbelievable!" Draco complained, his arm intertwined within Rylee's as they walked out towards the courtyard.

The courtyard. That was a mistake.

A tall figure approached them, causing Draco's grip on Rylee's arm to tighten. His eyes narrowed.

"Rylee" he spoke softly, yet his eyes were glued onto Draco.

It was Cedric.

Rylee cleared her throat, loosening her arm from Draco's and hiding both hands behind her back as she awkwardly stood in front of him.

"What could you possibly want" Rylee snapped, earning herself a proudful smile from Draco besides her.

"I wanted to..." his voice trailed off, "Can you mind your business for once, Draco? Shoo shoo you annoying, spoiled brat".

A small chuckle escaped Rylee's lips as she watched Cedric aggressively push Draco away from them. Draco groaned before throwing a tantrum and leaving them alone.

Her heart raced again. Every Time he'd come near her she felt like she was losing herself in him. Everything she had ever wanted was carried within one singular person. She felt a sort of excitement whenever she was near him. He was the adrenaline that rushed through her veins and she needed more of him.

Not that she would ever let him know.

"I'm going to be straight forward and not beat around the bush" he began, "because we both know how far THAT'S gotten me" he mumbled to himself sarcastically.

"Do you want to go to the yule ball with me?"

Rylee felt her world spin faster than usual. She felt butterflies and fireworks explode and roam in her stomach. His golden specks more prominent than ever. She felt her palms get sweaty and blood rush through out her veins. She heard silence. The only sound was that of her beating heart.

Had Cedric Diggory just asked her to a yule ball? Had Cedric finally put his reputation aside and make an effort to see her?

All she ever wanted was right in front of her. An opportunity that would only appear once in a lifetime considering Cedric was going to graduate in less than two years.

All she wanted to do was leap towards him and say yes. A million times yes.

Cedric's heart raced at the long silence she had given him. His head racing a million miles per hour with memories of them dancing in his living room when they were younger. He cared so much about Rylee and all he wanted was a dance with her. Even if it was just one. In this dance he wanted to finally tell her how he felt. He was going to tell her why he had been ignoring her. He was going to fix it all within one dance. He was going to embrace her tightly and whisper sweet nothings in her ear as they danced slowly to the most romantic song one could imagine.

He was going to sweep her off her feet with his love confession to her. He could already imagine him giving her the first kiss that she would never forget. He could already invision them walking out of that yule ball hand in hand. It would be them against the world for as long as they loved each other. In his case, forever, no?

But alas, Rylee's pride was stronger than one could ever imagine.

"No" she said flatly, shoving him aside and walking past him.

"No?" he scoffed, grabbing her arm tightly and pulling her back into him. Her body crashed against his. S he slowly tilted her head up to look at him, this time her eyes dark and serious.

Rylee was never a serious person. Everything was a joke to her, so seeing how she was staring at Cedric hurt him more than any stab in a wound could ever.

His breathing heavy against her skin as he looked down at her, "What do you mean 'no', Rylee" his tone was everything but happy.

"I said no" she spat, getting closer to his face, almost as if personal space didn't exist to her.

He let go of her arm, stepping closer to her. His body towered over hers as he glared down to her.

"You're angry at me for not visiting you?" he scoffed.

Cedric's heart had no room for hatred, truly. He was a loving, kind, and caring young man with anger issues, sure, but never hatred. One thing he DID hate though.. were pesky liars.

Her eyes darted towards his lips causing his breath to hitch just a little before clearing his throat and looking directly at hers as he spoke, "I don't know what your friends told you, Ry, but I'M the one who carried you and saved you from your fall" he scowled, his breath brushing against her cold lips as he spoke without taking his eyes off her bottom lip.

"I already knew that".

"I visited you days after being in the hospital wing. I care for you and we both know this" his tongue slowly escaped his lips, tracing his bottom lip followed by a soft tug on his bottom lip, "I've cared for you since we were kids. Don't act like that is new news to you. I came to visit you, hell, I came to make things up to you because the thought of having not saved you and you being seriously injured haunted my mind more than any nightmare as a child ever did" his lips brushed against hers.

Her body ached for him. She wanted him more than she had ever wanted anything else. Her heart was bound to jump out of her chest and into his hands any second now.

"But if you want to believe your friends" he scoffed, a smirk growing on his face as he slowly distanced his face from hers, "That's fine".

Now he was fully distanced from her. Her heart beating loudly inside her as she eyed him up and down.

"I already have a date to the yule ball" she lied in hopes that he wouldn't ask who it was.

"Really? Who" he mocked.

"Draco Malfoy".

Cedric had burst out into a loud laughter fit as the name rolled off her tongue.

A small chuckle escaping her lips as well, turning itself into a loud and obnoxious laugh which Cedric seemed to love.

Soon enough both of them had bursted out into loud echoes of laughter, followed by a sigh from Rylee, "What's so funny about Draco and I?" she finally spoke, the laughter dying down immediately

"Save me a dance" Cedric said cheekily, bumping his elbow into her sides and waving her goodbye, followed by a wink.

She hated his confidence. She truly hated how cocky Cedric would get at times.

She scoffed and tightly grabbed her books, making her way down to where she had seen Draco go. She had some convincing to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well.. that was interesting... you all don't understand how HARD it is for me to keep these two from kissing and getting together already😭🤚🏻 -.. I'm not used to NOT rushing things in two to three chapters..
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Thank you so much for 200 reads. It truly means the absolute world to see that people actually like this story.


	5. The Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After getting in an argument with her friends, Rylee seeks comfort in none other than Cedric Diggory himself.

"So you thought LYING was a better idea?!" yelled Rylee as she paced back and forth in the courtyard, scolding her friends as they sat on the ground with their legs crossed.

"We don't like him for you, Rylee!" Ron shouted back, annoyed at her for chasing after a guy who was no good for her.

"Ronald" Hermione said flatly, placing her hand on his lap and shooting him a dismissive look.

"And you!" She quickly turned to face Draco who had just decided to show up to her emergency meeting. He was holding onto his books tightly as he slowly approached them, his wicked smile fading away as she walked towards him at an alarming rate.

"You foul, loathsome, evil, little cockroach!"

Draco squealed, stumbling backwards and falling onto the ground. His eyes widening as Rylee crouched over him, pointing her want to his throat.

He scoffed knowing his friendship was too pure for Rylee to even try and sabotage.

"What did I do now" he smirked, holding out his arm for Rylee to take so that he could get up.

Rylee scoffed, slapping his arm away and sending it flying back to his side. "No!" she shouted angrily at him, narrowing her eyes at the boy in front of her, hearing soft chuckles escape from the three behind her.

"YOU. It was YOUR idea to shut them up. YOU decided to lie to me about Cedric visiting me. Just because you're in love with Harry and he doesn't want you back doesn't mean you have the right to sabotage what I could possibly have!"

Silence.

Heavy breathing from Rylee and a glare from Draco, sending chills down Ron, Hermione's, and Harry's spine.

"You know what, screw you, Rylee. If you end up getting hurt, we won't be here for you" he scowled, dusting off the back of his trousers as he stood up from the ground, walking over to the other side of her to sit besides his friends.

They all looked up at her, nodding in agreement with what Draco had said.

Rylee scoffed, "Be there for me? Unbelievable", and with that she stomped away towards the hufflepuff common room. In hopes that she would bump into Cedric and apologize to him for ever thinking he didn't care about her.

She zoomed through hallways making sharp lefts and sharp rights as she looked for the common room. She finally found it.

As she walked in, there he was. He was sitting on a couch, his messy hair falling into his face and his smile wide, laughing with his friends.

Butterflies began to swarm in Rylee's stomach as memories began to infiltrate her mind as she watched him, feeling as if he were laughing and touching his hair all in slow motion.

A loud laughter echoed in his room. "Mom! I'll be in Ced's room" she smiled, sprinting towards the door of his room.

As she opened the door, there sat a 12 year old, Cedric, he had short poofy hair and a wide smile that could light up her entire world. Besides him sat his friends, two tall, scrawny boys with dark brown hair and one short and stubby boy with blonde hair. None as beautiful as the boy in the middle.

"Hey Ced....ric" her voice trailed off. A bigger smile spreading across his face as he threw his arm over Rylee and walked her closer to his friends.

One thing Rylee always loved about Cedric was how he towered over her. Growing up, she would always be a little shorter than his shoulder because he would never stop growing.

"Okay, gentlemen, this is Rylee! The girl I've told you about".

Rylee's young heart raced, skipped a beat like one would say, at the sound of his sentence. Cedric Diggory talked about Rylee Martin?

She smiled awkwardly and waved.

They all got along within a few minutes and chatter between the group lasted for what seemed like hours.

Rylee's eyes were fixated on Cedric the entire time though. The way his eyes would light up any time his friends mentioned anything that he was even remotely interested in. The way his hair plopped down every time he'd jump in excitement. The way his smile made her feel warm and fuzzy inside.

Finally, it was time for all the young boys to head home. Cedric stood up and reached out his hand for Rylee to take.

Cedric was many things and one of them was being a gentleman to young Rylee. He would always hold her hand and walk in or out of a room with her if he had the chance.

Rylee took his hand and they began to walk the boys out of his house, waving each one of them goodbye as they drove away with their parents.

Sigh.

"I think I should go home too. My parents left hours ago and they probably didn't bother me because they knew I would go home soon" she spoke softly, letting go of his hand.

"Or.." a smirk making its way onto his face as he spoke, "You can sleep over. I doubt Mr. and Mrs. Martin would even care. They trust my dad and I enough to let you sleep over. We can fly on a broom before going to bed" his smirk turning into an innocent smile as he looked down on Rylee.

And so she listened. They made their way to his backyard where an old Nimbus of some sort was hung on the wall.

He grabbed it and waked back to Rylee, standing besides her and mounting it. He turned his head to face her and with a cheeky smile he spoke, "We aren't allowed brooms out of Hogwarts in my year, but you won't tell anyone, right, Ry?".

Rylee nodded with a beaming smile, watching him kick off into the air and fly around.

The wind messing up his perfect hair, a smile from ear to ear on his face as he zoomed past her and up to the sky again.

It had been 30 minutes.

The sweat from his face dripping down the bridge of his nose, collecting itself at the tip of it and then falling onto his mustard yellow shirt and gliding across his body and onto the wind. His puffy hair was no longer puffy, instead it was a wild mess which was now sticking onto his forehead and cheeks due to all the sweat.

Soon enough he was zooming back down towards Rylee, panting like a dog.

"I'd let you.." he paused to take in a deep breath, "ride it, but" he paused again, his chest heaving up and down as he tried to catch his breath, "You don't even know how to properly mount a broom and it's getting pretty late. We should head to bed".

She nodded.

She plopped on the couch and patiently waited for Cedric to get Amos.

"Okay so" he peeked his head out from the corner into the living room. She could only see his head, his neck, and his collarbone as he had been covering the rest of himself with the wall.

"Father said you could sleep in my room. I'll sleep on the couch. Go ahead and make yourself at home while I go shower this nasty sweat off".

Rylee nodded, waiting to hear a door close from down the hallway before making her way to his room.

She sighed and smiled, quickly making herself into his bed.

It was soft and it smelled like him. She giggled to herself as she pulled the sheets over her head and proceeded to close her eyes.

"Hey, if you need anything, don't forget I'm in the living room" he peeked his head in through the door. His hair was wet, water droplets falling onto the carpet in his room. His cheeks a rose pink from the steam in the shower.

Rylee threw up a thumbs up, the sheets still covering her head.

Cedric let out a small chuckle, "I finished showering, Ry".

She slowly showed an eye.. then her entire face.

"Thanks for letting me sleep in your room, Ced!".

He nodded, "Goodnight. Sweet dreams, Ry" he closed the door behind him and made his way down to the living room.

He lay on the couch with his arm behind his head, thinking of what a fun day it had been.

Cedric had always seen Rylee as a younger sister. A sister he had always wanted. But at days, it was weird. He had the feeling Rylee liked him more than a friend, and oh boy how he hated the idea of it ruining their friendship.

He cleared his throat and shook his head, there was no way Rylee Martin liked him. She was his friend.. best friend.. and that was it.

Rylee began to toss and turn in his bed, quiet sobs escaping her lips, covered in sweat and her hair sticking onto her skin. Her quiet sobs quickly turning into loud screams as she dreamed away.

A loud slam and a set of arms cradling her, but her dream was too intense, her eyes were glued shut.

Her heart raced.

"It's fine, dad. I got it" a familiar voice spoke from somewhere beside her.

She felt a soft hand caress her face, removing all the hair that had been pressed against her from the sweat away from her face, "Hey, wake up" a voice spoke.

She wanted to listen to it, but something about this dream kept her watching. She didn't want to watch, dear no, this dream brought her an immense agony that no child her age should ever go through, but she just couldn't look away. She squirmed and sobbed in this person's arms until they jerked her awake.

"It was just a dream" he reassured her as she panted, tossing her face into his chest and gripping tightly onto his white t-shirt.

Quiet sobs as she laid there in his arms.

They might have been young children, but even at that age, only Cedric could bring her this much comfort. Only he knew about the horrid dreams she would have late at night after spending a peaceful day with him.

His father found it odd that she had the same dreams every time. He found it weird that such a young child would have such dreadful dreams about the same thing and that no details, no matter how big or how small, ever changed in her dreams. The dream always involved Cedric and a short, stubby, old man killing him.

"I'm okay. Look at me, Rylee. I'm okay" he repeated, lifting up her face with both his hands, wiping her tears away with his thumbs, "I'm fine, see? I'm here. We're okay" he planted a kiss on her forehead and fixed himself up on his bed.

He stretched out his arm and looked up at Rylee who was now sitting up on his bed, staring blankly at the wall with tears on her cheeks, "I'll stay here" he whispered. Rylee turned her head to face him, a gentle nod coming from her as she laid beside him.

"It was just a silly dream" he whispered again, both kids closing their eyes and pulling each other in tightly.

__________________________________________________________________

"Rylee!" A voice snapped her back to her reality.

Cedric.

She cleared her throat, approaching Cedric and gaining weird stares from all his friends.

He jumped up from the couch he was on, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and turning to face all his friends, "Okay, mates, this is Rylee Martin, my friend. If some of you dimwits paid attention to all of our teammates, you would know she's the best seeker we've had in a while. ".

His friends nodded awkwardly at her with a forced smile.

Rylee cleared her throat, not being able to stand another second with these quidditch boys who had the brain capacity of a flip flop.

She turned to Cedric, tugging lightly on his shirt, earning herself a nod from him before excusing himself from his friends.

Rylee and Cedric had a system since they were younger. Rylee didn't like people, she truly didn't, but if there was a group of people that she miraculously liked, it wouldn't be awkward for her to spark up a conversation with them. Cedric always hung out with a large crowd of popular people, so naturally, Rylee disliked each and every one of them, causing her to become shy and timid around them. Every time this would happen, a young Rylee would tug on the hem of his shirt, this would give him a signal that she wanted to either leave or speak to him alone.

She followed Cedric out the common room and into his dorm room.

"What's wrong?" he asked, lowering his head and switching between both her eyes as if examining her.

"I confronted them," Rylee began, fidgeting with her fingers as she spoke, "Draco, Harry, Ron, and Hermione I mean. They lied to me and had told me that you never visited me. It's my fault you're in this tournament, so,"

"It's not your fault. Even if you had stopped me and told me not to put my name in the Goblet, I would have done it regardless."

"I want to make it up to you" she ignored what he had said, continuing with her sentence, "We should go out today. A walk down Hogsmeade, a cold butterbeer or two" she cooed flirtatiously.

Cedric cleared his throat, fixing his tie, "A date?" he blurted out. He obviously seemed nervous.

"Not exactly a date... if you don't want it to be anyway..maybe we can call it a-"

"It's a date, Rylee. When?" a smirk spreading across his face as he stepped closer to her. His eyes big and dark, filled with a feeling she had never sensed from him before. Lust.

Gross.

His sudden change in demeanor taking Rylee by surprise.

She cleared her throat, stepping backwards as he approached her. Stumbling down and plopping onto his bed. He leaned his head over her, his smirk still on his face, "Answer the question, darling. When?"

Rylee gulped. She felt her heart begin to race as his face was inches away from hers.

His index finger wrapped around the small, loose, strand of her tie and pulled her closer to him, their lips just barely brushing against each other. His eyes dark and filled with lust as he tilted his head, his eyes fixated on her lips.

She wanted to lean in. Her body was aching for this, but she remembered she had never had her first kiss before.

Cedric Diggory was a popular guy at school, and not to mention older, which meant he had his first kiss ages ago, but Rylee was just in her 4th year. She had never kissed anyone before.

She cleared her throat and backed her face away, "Now".

She got up and walked quickly towards the door, her hand on the knob as a warm hand grabbed her other hand.

"I see you still wear the ring" a soft smile on his face, his eyes loving and sweet.

"Always" she whispered before heading out. She walked into her dorm and slid down to the ground after closing the door behind her. Clutching her ring against her chest with a beaming smile. Had she truly scored a date with Cedric after all these years?  
—————————————————————  
"If only they weren't all such twats. They could have been helping me" she spoke to herself more than to her roommate, Hannah Abbott, as she switched intermittently between a short, plain, black dress which fit snuggly on her or a dark red dress which was loose from the bottom hem.

Hannah tilted her head, "Definitely the black one" she spoke with her index finger on her chin and her arms crossed.

"Thank you, Hannah. The red one it is" Rylee chuckled.

Hannah and Rylee had never been extremely close. Not as close as Rylee was with her other group at least, but she was an amazing person to talk to and be friends with. Though, she sucked at giving clothing advice. Rylee would always go with the opposite of what Hannah would suggest, just like she was doing at that moment.

Hannah laughed, "My sense of style is not that bad!".

"Hannah.. you think socks and sandals is an okay, I think i'll stick to the opposites of your likings".

The girls laughed all while Rylee got herself dressed. She wore a dark red dress which was snug from the waist up, it accentuated her curves, and loose from the waist down. It reached to the middle of her thigh.

She wore some black sandals to show off her freshly painted red nails and with a smile and encouraging words from Hannah such as "You look hot, girl!" and "Go get him, tiger!" she was off to the common room.

The common room in which Cedric stood. He wore a beige suit with a white button down shirt below it. They smiled at each other as she approached him.

"I guess we both knew it would be more than Hogsmeade and butter beers, huh?" he joked, his eyes roaming throughout Rylee's body.

She chuckled, looking down at the ground as he walked closer to her, extending his arm for her to take.

They began to walk out of the common room hand-in-hand and out into the courtyard to find their way out of Hogwarts.

As they walked, Rylee spotted her friends from a distance, their eyes widening and their jaws dropping as they watched Rylee walk out with Cedric.

Not in a million years would they have thought that Rylee Martin and Cedric Diggory would be publicly seen walking out together from Hogwarts.

Soon enough they found themselves in The Hog's Head having cold butterbeers and catching up, since they had a lot of that to do.

Rylee had soon learned that Cedric used to be in a serious relationship with a girl in her grade and he was surprised she had never noticed.

"Cho Chang!? What? I never saw you guys together!"

"That's because I hung out with her in private. I didn't want you to think I was with her to hurt you" he chuckled, "But yes.. she was my first love. We were quite serious for a while".

The words hurt Rylee. She always knew Cedric had seen her like a sister when they were younger, but either way, the words hurt her. She chuckled to play it off, but in reality, she was extremely hurt by the fact that Cho Chang was his first love and not her.

"Speaking of Cho, I have to tell you that-"

"We should go dancing" she interrupted. She cleared her throat and stood up. They had already paid their bill hours ago and they were only drinking the last bit of their butterbeer.

"They won't let you inside the clubs. You're too young" Cedric laughed, yet still holding onto her hand and leading her out of The Hog's Head.

They arrived to an All-Wizard's club.

The music was loud. Loud enough for them to hear it from the outside, anyway.

"Wanna do something crazy?" Cedric smiled, that evil smirk on his face again as he lead them down an alley and to the back of the club.

"No way" Rylee chuckled, "If my father knew about this.. Cedric, he'll think you're a bad influence for me" she laughed hysterically at the thought on her parents' faces once they realized that they're good, young, gentleman had become a bad influence on their angel of a daughter.

Song I recommend playing: Like a g6 (Slowed) by Far East Movement OR Feel so close by Calvin Harris.

The door swung open. A man in a black suit with a huge,black bag filled with what sounded like beer bottles was walking towards the garbage bin across from where Rylee and Cedric had been crouching.

They made a run for it.

The music was booming. Rylee felt as if her heart was thudding at the exact rhythm of the loud music around her.

A beaming smile spread across her face as she turned to Cedric, throwing her arms up into the air. He chuckled, grabbing her arms and placing them around his shoulders, pulling her in closer to him by her waist.

She felt the blood in her veins rush quickly to her cheeks at how intimately close she was to him. She felt her body pressed against him as their hips swung together in unison with both his hands on her hips. Quick flashes of colorful lights blinding her eyes, but the figure in front of her was more than visible.

Actually, it was the only thing she could truly focus on.

His smile wide, his hair becoming messier and messier every time he'd sway over to one side. His head tilted back causing his jawline to become sharper and more prominent.

She felt herself melt at the view.

"This is great!" he shouted, tilting his head forward to look down at her. He raised his leg a little higher, placing it in between her legs to bring them closer together. He tilted his head back again, letting himself loose within the music

The music still booming loudly in her ears, her heart racing. She couldn't tell if it was racing at the beat of the music or if it was beating hard because of how close their bodies were.

She slowly slid her hands off his shoulders and down his chest, causing his eyes to widen and his head to tilt towards her again. His eyes dark, giving her the same look he had given her earlier.

She brought her hands up to the sides of his face, caressing it and running them through his hair.

He smirked, placing his forehead against hers and doing the same to her face, both bouncing simultaneously.

The music began to fade away, transitioning itself into another. Cedric's chest was heaving up and down, both covered in sweat. He grabbed her hand and led her towards a bar where a large beefy man with hardly any neck stood behind the counter.

"Let's sneak some drinks" he whispered in her ear before approaching the bar.

"Can I get a pina colada?" he smiled at the man.

The man raised his brow, tilting his head and looking at another man from across the club.

Cedric's eyes widened, grabbing Rylee's hand tightly.

"He's calling the other security. We need to make a run for it unless you want our parents to find out that we are two minors who went out clubbing and attempted to get alcoholic beverages"

And there was the adrenaline that only Cedric Diggory could bring her. She chuckled and let go of his hand. She ran towards an exit while he ran to the opposing door, both men yelling and shouting for them.

She ran and ran, slamming the door open, but continuing to run, laughing with every step she took. The adrenaline that ran through her veins was the feeling she had needed this entire time. Cedric always knew how to get her going.

She stopped, placing her hands on her knees and bending over to catch her breath.

"AHH" she shouted as she was pulled behind a bush with a hand covering her mouth. She felt a body pressed against her back and a pressure being pressed against her, she really hoped it wasn't a nasty old man.

"Shh" the voice whispered. She turned her head and her eyes met with Cedric's, a sigh of relief.

The two men ran past the bush like two idiots as if they had found their prey.

"Let's head back to Hogwarts" he laughed, his breathing heavy.

They stood up and began to walk to the opposite direction from where the men had ran, Cedric's hands covering his front while pulling down his shirt. An oblivious Rylee wondering why.

He liked the adrenaline. He was an adrenaline junkie.

Finally they had made their way back to the common room without being caught. Rylee was pressed against her door while Cedric's hand was pressed on the wall behind her, looking down at her bottom lip then back up at her eyes, "Tonight was fun".

"It was" Rylee smiled, her eyes fixated on his bottom lip as his tongue slid out, tracing his lip then followed by a tug, his eyes burning through her skin.

He leaned in. She could feel his breath on her face, her heart racing at what was about to happen.

She felt his lips slightly brush against hers, his other hand placing a strand of hair behind her ear.

His hand slid from the back of her ear to the side of her neck, softly caressing her jawline with his thumb as he leaned closer.

Rylee cleared her throat, turning her face causing his kiss to land on her cheek.

"I'll see you around!" she chuckled nervously, immediately opening the door behind her and sliding inside, closing it softly to not wake Hannah up. She slid herself in bed, leaving Cedric dumbfounded just outside her door.

He scratched the back of his neck and groaned in annoyance at the situation below him, making his way back to his dorm room.

"I'll see you around?" she mocked herself, slapping the palm of her hand onto her face then slowly sliding it away, closing her eyes.

Rylee Martin, you suck at romance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! Finally, a new chapter.
> 
> Just because they went out on a date tonight does NOT MEAN that they are an official thing.
> 
> Also, something I forgot to make clear is, this entire story is being narrated by someone. I'll reveal who in the very last chapter of this story, but just know it's being narrated.
> 
> Them not kissing yet... is it frustrating you guys yet or are you here for the slow burn?
> 
> OH ALSO, is there any specific way you all visualize Rylee Martin as? I've mentioned she has brown eyes and long hair, she's not white so.. is there any way you all see her?
> 
> Stay tuned for next chapter! I'm excited about the next two chapters.


	6. The yule ball

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The yule ball is finally here, what drama will come?

"You were beyond amazing!" Hermione squealed, running towards Rylee and hugging her in a tight embrace. Rylee smiled softly as she placed her chin on Hermione's shoulder and let her eyes roam until they found Cedric who was giving her a sweet smile from across the field.

"It was a close one" Harry laughed, trying to catch his breath.

Usually there are three champions in the triwizard tournaments, but since Harry and Rylee's names were thrown into the goblet by god knows who, Barty Crouch had to convince and beg keepers, such as Ron's elder brother Charlie Weasley, for an extra dragon, meaning Harry and Rylee had shared their first task.

"He's coming" Draco spat, his arms crossed out in front of his chest before walking besides Harry and rubbing his back, that was hit attempt to help Harry catch his breath.

The group shifted away from her, a smirk on Ron and Hermione's lips as they watched Cedric strut towards Rylee with a yellow rag thrown over his shoulder and dark spots on his face from all the ash and smoke he had to come upon.

"You did good" he smiled, rubbing the back of his neck and towering over Rylee.

She felt the blood rush towards her cheeks before clearing her throat, "Thank you".

For minutes they stood in silence, losing each other in the other's eyes. A yearning feeling to throw herself onto him and kiss him because she could. The idea of wrapping his arms around her and bringing her into a long awaited kiss driving him insane.

But alas, Rylee was as stubborn as they got.

"See you tomorrow at the yule ball," she winked, with both hands in her back pockets and rocking herself back and forth, "i'm thinking dark red with a few shades of black?" she smiled at the ground before looking back up at Cedric who didn't seem fazed by what she had just said. Instead, his face was dead serious.

"About that.." he began, but was quickly cut off as Draco's cold hand pressed around Rylee's wrist and pulled her away, all while glaring Cedric down.

The group turned their backs on him, leaving him standing alone in the middle of the field, walking away towards the gryffindor common room to celebrate Harry and Rylee passing their first task.

Draco smiled, throwing his arm over Rylee's shoulder, "You know, Rylee, you're the only hufflepuff I could ever get along with. You know this, right? I can't imagine getting along with Cedric," he threw his head on her shoulder, still walking towards the gryffindor common room, "But with you, it's so easy to get along. Quite the evidence that I want what's best for you, no?".

Rylee sighed, gripping his hand tightly without saying a word. It was rare for Draco to be soft with her. Yes, he was nice and yes, he kicked anyone's ass for disrespecting her, but being soft to her one on one? never. She was going to make the best out of this small moment.

"I'm taking your silence as a nod of agreement. With that being said," he removed his hand off of her as they reached the portrait of the fat lady causing the entire group to stop all at once, he turned his body to face Rylee and placed his hands on either side of her arms, "I don't like him for you, Rylee. He's going to hurt you".

A soft smile emerged from her lips as her eyes met his gray big eyes, "Too bad it's my love life," she got closer to his ear and whispered, "How about you stay in your lane, Malfoy, and you figure out what it is you have going on with Potter?" her smile fading away as she pulled away from Draco and turned to her friends with a smile, extending her arm and pointing towards the fat lady.

Draco's face turned bright red.

He cleared his throat, "Let's get this party started".

And so Ron spoke, "Fairy Lights" and the common room door swung open. Inside was all of gryffindor with balloons and confetti spread throughout the entire room, awaiting for Rylee's and Harry's arrival.

Loud cheers and roars echoed throughout the room and with one swift move, Rylee was sitting on George's left shoulder and Harry was sitting on Fred's right shoulder, right next to each other as the Weasley twins stood one by another and began to cheer louder than the rest.

"WICKED" they shouted simultaneously as they ran in between the crowd and around the common room.

It was an amazing feeling to see all these smiles from her friends.

"Who is going to win this tournament, my better half?" Fred smiled, raising his shoulders higher and Harry along with them as he turned his body to face George.

"Who else but Rylee Martin and our famous Harry!" George shouted and the crowd went wild.

"Shall we open it?" Harry finally spoke.

And for a split second the crowd went silent...but not for long. Soon enough Draco was shouting at the top of his lungs as if he were a gryffindor as well.

"OPEN IT!" Hermione cheered.

Rylee turned her head to face Harry, giving each other proud smiles before opening the eggs together.

A loud screeching noise came into their ears causing everyone to cover them immediately.

Harry let out a loud yelp as Fred reached for his ears, letting Harry fall onto the ground with a loud thump.

George, on the other hand, was more careful than his lousy brother was. Although his ears felt like they were being jabbed by a thousand little sharp knives, he decided to let Rylee fall into his arms, cradling her and pressing one of her ears into his chest and the other with his left hand.

Rylee always saw George as her friend. That's all he would ever be considering she grew up with Harry and Ron more than she did Hermione.

She cleared her throat and immediately closed her egg as did Harry.

"What the hell was that, mate?" Fred asked, looking down at Harry who was still sitting on the ground.

Harry looked up at George then at Fred, "rude" he joked before Draco reached out to help him up.

"Oh..uh" Rylee chuckled nervously up at George who was still holding her up yet didn't seem to notice. He opened his mouth in an O shape before placing her down then quickly closed it and filled his cheeks with air and looked away awkwardly.

Rylee placed a strand of hair behind her ear before turning back to Harry, "As important as it is to find out what the next clue is.. I am tired and we have a yule ball tomorrow.. I am going to bed".

And with that, she placed a peck onto Hermione's cheek, then Ron's, and then Harry's. She walked towards the common room door and waited for Draco to say goodbye to the others, a small peck on Harry's cheek leaving him blushing a scarlet red before waving goodbye.

"Have you found a date yet?" Rylee whispered to Draco as he walked her to her common room.

Draco shook his head, fidgeting with his fingers from behind his back and looking down as he walked, "I think Harry is going to ask Cho".

"That sucks.."

Every bone in her body wanted to squeal and tell her best friend that Cedric was going to be her date to the yule ball, but she didn't want to sound like she didn't care about what was going on in his life. Of course she did.

"Yeah" he sighed, forcing a soft smile as he watched Rylee go inside.

She waved goodbye and proceeded to close the common room door.

A strong familiar scent shot up towards her nostrils the second she turned around.

Cedric caged her in with both his hands and looked her up and down with a slight smirk, "You did great today" he spoke low so that nobody would wake up.

"Thank you" she said confidently, pretending that his body this close to hers wasn't enough to drive her insane.

"No, like.. you did really good today" he whispered again, placing a strand of hair behind her ear and his smirk growing by the second.

"Yah.." she said awkwardly, sliding down and away from him, walking towards the girls dormitory.

"Rylee" his voice low and sultry as he spoke her name, sending a wave of chills down her body.

She cleared her throat and stood in place, feeling his presence walk closer and closer to her until the back of her body was pressed against his.

His lips hovered over her ear as he moved her hair out of the way, "Good job" he praised again. His fingertips running up from her hand to her shoulder.

"It's really late, a girl needs her beauty sleep especially when her date is none other than Cedric Diggory" she murmured, turning around quickly and placing a soft peck on his cheek before running towards the girl's dormitory and shutting the door quietly.

Her heart was racing.

A smirk on Cedric's face as he watched her struggle to close the door.

"Rylee Martin.. the things you do to me" he whispered to himself, letting his head lean back and a soft groan escaping his lips before stomping back into the boy's dorm, a feeling of regret and guilt quickly taking over him as he remembered the yule ball tomorrow night.

______________________________________________________________________  
"Woah.." her voice trailed off as she looked Hermione up and down.  
She wore a long loose dress with multiple shades of pink.

"You look beautiful, 'Mione" Ron's cheeks blushed as he scratched the back of his head.

"So who's your date?" Harry chimed in from behind the group. He wore a white button down shirt with a black vest and tie with long black robes, his hair was brushed nicely and he smelled of cologne.

"Who's yours?" Rylee teased as Draco helped her zip her sweater back up.

Draco wore an all black suit with his hair loose and messy like he styled it back in third year. Ron wore a beige suit and a black tie with long black robes.

The group looked pretty good, if I say so myself.

"Are you guys ready for the best night of our lives?" Rylee smirked, wrapping her arm around Draco's and Harry's shoulder and leading them all out of the hufflepuff common room.

And so the group began their way to an interesting night. Inside the great hall, it was filled with laughter and joy, snow from the ceiling and music. Loud music from their favorite wizarding band.

"I'll catch up with you guys in a little" Hermione smiled softly, excusing herself away from the group.

Rylee's heart began to race as her eyes roamed through the room for her date. The thought of finally having her first kiss to Cedric Diggory made her little heart flutter. She felt butterflies in her stomach and sweat accumulate in the palms of her hands.

*Song I recommend listening to while reading from here on out: Dead to me Bass Boosted by Kali Uchis*

Finally, her eyes spotted the tall handsome boy she had been yearning for for so long. His hair was combed nicely over and he wore the same outfit Harry woree. A huge smile on his face as he waved hello to every student as they passed by him.

But something was wrong..

Something caused her heart to shatter into a million pieces, but would she let a boy like him, or any boy for that matter, know that she was in pain because of them? No.

"Cho Chang? ouch" Draco leaned in, his eyes glued on Cedric with a cold glare, "I knew he was a no good" he spat, grabbing Rylee by her arm and pulling her away.

Cedric Diggory had shown up to the yule ball with Cho Chang clung onto his arm.

His eyes landed on Rylee, a pitiful stare on his face, a face that screamed he was sorry. Not sorry enough.

Rylee sighed, trying to come up with some sort of revenge plan quickly. She turned her body towards Draco and cupped his face with both her hands then turned over to look Cedric dead in the eye. She made sure he was hypnotized by her before leaning closer to Draco's face. Her lips brushed against his, but Draco moved away in a swift move, gripping both her wrists with one of his hands and lower them down.

"Woah, what the hell Rylee?" Draco stumbled back, his head moving back and forth from Cedric to Rylee. He could see the tension and the anger boiling up in both parties.

"I love you, I do, and I'd do anything for you, but tonight is the only night I can make a move on Harry and then blame it on a dare if it goes wrong. I cannot screw this up, sorry Rylee" he whispered, strutting away to sit at an empty seat as he waited for all the yule ball champions to dance with their partners on the dance floor before being free to dance with whom they wanted.

Rylee gulped hard and began to make her way towards Cedric the second Cho had left.

"Amazing taste if you ask me" she said flatly, her eyes following Cho like a predator chasing their prey. She was more than hurt at the fact that her night with Cedric had meant nothing to him, but she would rather die than let him know that he made her knees weak.

"I'm sorry, Rylee. I tried to tell you but your friends always got in the way or you dodged my conversation" he spoke low enough just for them to hear.

"I don't care who you come to the yule ball with, Diggory. Don't flatter yourself. You aren't that special. After all, you're just a silly boy, no?" she grabbed a chocolate covered strawberry off his plate and popped it into her mouth, her eyes looking for another date as she spoke.

"You don't mean that" he growled, placing his plate down on his table then placing his finger under his chin and forcing her to look into his eyes. Dark with a hint of anger in them.

"Watch me".

Professor Mcgonagall showed up, rushing Cedric away for the big dance.

And with a smile, Rylee was off.

She would show him what he was missing out on.

"Weasleys!" she shouted joyfully, strutting towards the tall men in a loose, blood red, dress which had a tight black top. The boys' eyes widened as they saw how beautiful Rylee looked for the night. They weren't used to her caring about the way she looked, but when she did, Merlin she was beautiful.

"Hey!" Angelina spoke, greeting Rylee excitedly. A peck on each others cheeks before losing themselves in conversation while the champions danced with their partners in the middle of the dance floor.

Finally, the classical music faded away and their favorite band began to play once again. With that, Angelina and Fred strutted away towards the dance floor.

"No date?" George finally spoke, his cheeks a slight pink as he turned his body to face Rylee, "Their loss" he smiled, extending his hand for her to take.

They ran towards the crowd and began to jump in place. Her eyes glittering in joy as she watched George's hair bounce and flop down onto his shoulders.

Her eyes lost in the view.

Besides her was Draco dancing closely to Harry. Draco's hands placed on Harry's hips while Harry's hands wrapped around Draco's neck, pulling him as close as he could while they cheered and danced together in sync until their bodies were covered in sweat.

Across from her was Cedric, his smile fading away as he noticed Rylee starring. It had become intense eye contact from there.

Rylee sighed, looking up at George who had stopped bouncing as the music faded into slow, romantic jazz.

"May I have this dance?" he whispered, taking Rylee in by her waist and placing her face into his chest as they swayed together. Cedric's eyes glued onto them and a fury boiling up in his blood as he watched how close their bodies were.

"George?" she whispered, moving her head to face him.

"Yes, love?" he looked down at her, his face inches away from hers.

"Can I kiss you?"

The question taking him by surprise. He cleared his throat then looked over to Cedric who's eyes were piercing his skin.

"Oh" his eager smile faded away.

He removed his hand from Rylee's waist and placed it on her cheek, his thumb softly caressing it while the palm of his hand was on her jaw and his pinky slowly grazed on her neck. His eyes a light green with her reflection in them. His eyes glued on Cedric as he did all of this, making sure Cedric was full aware of what he had been missing on.

"Rylee Martin.." George whispered, turning his head back to Rylee just to find her starring hungrily at his lips.

Rylee had always seen George as her friend, but that was all it ever was to her. Friends. But something about him being so willing to kiss her to make someone jealous, something about him putting her safety first before covering his ears to such an obnoxious noise made her heart skip a beat.

Maybe George being her first kiss wouldn't be such a bad thing. He was a good guy and that's all she ever wanted. Her first kiss to be with someone who was nice and caring and loved her the way she loved them.

She may not have loved George romantically, but she sure as hell loved him either way.

He leaned closer, his breath brushing against her cheek and his lips brushing against hers causing her heart to race.

With a quick move, she closed the gap between their lips.

She could feel Cedric's rage from across the room. She could feel Draco and Harry's jaws dropping. She could feel Fred's encouraging smile as he watched them. She could feel the room spinning and everyone around them disappearing.

A smirk creeping onto George's face as he felt Rylee's palm that was pressed against his chest slowly slide down to his free hand, interlocking her fingers within his.

Their bodies moved in sync as their kiss became deeper with much more meaning than how it had begun.

He pulled his lips away for a few seconds to catch his breath, opening his eyes as his forehead pressed against hers, a smile on her lips as she met his eyes.

She never thought she would ever catch feelings for anyone but Cedric, maybe it was the effects of kissing someone... maybe that was just it.

Her lips, though, craved more. They ached for George in a way she could never imagine. She was young and her emotions were all over the place. Her life was a mess, but she didn't care if this made it worse. She needed more.

She crashed her lips into his again and removed her hand out of his, wrapping both her arms around his shoulders and standing on the tip of her toes.

Finally, they broke apart.

His chest was heaving in anger as he watched the girl he loved kiss someone else. Kiss someone that wasn't him.

A large smile on George's face, his heart was bound to beat out of his chest. He leaned closer to Rylee's ear and pushed her hair away before whispering, "Seems like it worked. If I were you, I'd make a big exit and wait for him to chase you". He smiled as she listened to his instructions, leaving him dizzy and in a haze, heartbroken that he couldn't have the girl. Not that he cared.. as long as Rylee was happy, right?

"MATE?" Fred shouted, politely moving Angelina aside and rushing towards George, "You okay?" he whispered.

Nobody knew about George's raging crush on Rylee but Fred. Not even Ron.

"Yeah.."

She ran out to the courtyard, a large smile on her face because she had finally gotten her first kiss gotten over with. She clutched her chest where her heart was as she heard footsteps getting louder and louder.

"What the hell" he growled, grabbing Rylee's arm tightly and spinning her around to face him. His eyes were angry, his chest was heaving, she had never seen Cedric so angry before.

She scoffed, pulling her arm away from his grip and crossing them in front of herself, "What is it, Diggory? You can have fun with other girls but I can't have a little kiss here and there?"

"I asked her to be my date before you and I went out that night, Rylee".

Rylee didn't care, she didn't seem fazed. In this moment, she chose to be selfish. She chose to finally put herself above Cedric. She chose to be happy and let herself have fun without thinking of Cedric every minute of the day.

"I thought you liked me" she spat with a devious smirk on her face, a swift turn and she was off towards her common room.

In her bed, alone, was when she finally let herself show emotions. She began to cry as she put on her pajamas, not because she had kissed George. Merlin's beard, no. She didn't regret the events of tonight, but because so much drama was bound to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO EVERYONE!!!! LONG TIME NO SEE, EY? WELL... LET ME CLEAR SOME THINGS UP
> 
> 1\. GEORGE'S CRUSH ON RYLEE WILL BE EXPLAINED SOON, I PROMISE IT DIDN'T COME OUT OF NOWHERE
> 
> 2\. GEORGE IS NOT HURT BECAUSE HE KNEW SHE WAS DOING IT TO GET CEDRIC JEALOUS AND HE WILLINGLY HELPED
> 
> 3\. YES, I AM HINTING TOWARDS DRARRY, WHAT ABOUT IT
> 
> AND
> 
> 4\. WHAT DO WE THINK ABOUT WHAT'S BOUND TO COME?
> 
> please don't start to ship Rylee and George unless you want pain in your heart 

**Author's Note:**

> AHHH IM LITERALLY SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS STORY. Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to read it. It would mean the entire world if you could talk about it and help promote it on tiktok! Make sure to follow me on wattpad Mxlfoysweasley to know when I update the other version as well!


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